The Ties that Bind
by Serenity Dragonrider
Summary: This is the story of when Black Widow hatched. Windwalker doen't like staying home all the time. She becomes restless, and insaults and endangeres the ones she loves. And once the egg is laid, both Windwalker and Tenor have to put up with curious vikings.
1. Chapter 1

**The Ties that Bind**

* * *

High up on the little island of Berk summer was just beginning. The vikings and dragons wasted no time in gathering food for the following winter. Their chief, Hiccup, was overlooking all the activity alongside his alpha dragon Toothless. The air around Berk was filled with the sound of flapping wings and the roars of many dragons. Among the dragons were three dragons from the dragons' homeland, Draconia.

Re, the Dragon King, was a handsome emerald green with kelly green underside and ocean blue eyes. He was as tall as a draft horse and ten times stronger. He was the more traditional looking European dragon. He had a long muscular neck, a narrow head with a pair of sharp horns protruding out the back. He had a narrow snout that looked very lizard like. He had the body and long legs of a wolf, only bigger and more muscular. His front paws had posable thumbs which were quite useful when grabbing prey. He had a pair of enormous green wings that extended to a 50 ft. wingspan. His tail was very long and flexible. The last third of it had no bones, just solid muscle and topped with barbs that were smaller than a human eyelash and sharper than fish hooks. Re was able to use it as an extra hand and could use it as a whip. For this reason his breed was known as the Whippertail.

Re's mate was Queen Aurora. She too was a Whippertail. She was sapphire blue with tropical blue under scales. She had silver eyes and horns. She was the only begotten daughter of the Dragon God, Lord Draco. She was one of the very few dragons with the gift of magic. She only used it to make her kind thrive, and for the occasional prank, but never as a weapon. She could see the future, read and control minds, shape shift, turn invisible, pull objects out of thin air, make objects move, disappear and reappear, she also had healing abilities, she could control the weather and many other things. She and Re had been together since they were eggs.

Tenor was the rarest dragon in the world. Half of him was a Blackfang; he had a long thick neck, short narrow snout and square forehead. In his mouth were teeth so poisonous that they were solid black. He was slightly smaller than Re and Aurora, as tall as an Arabian stallion. He had the legs of a panther. The other half of him was Night Fury. He had the body, wings, fins, tail, eyes, sonar flaps, fire power, and glossy black scales of a Night Fury. No other dragon in the world looked like him.

He spent a good chunk of his childhood being bullied by the other dragons. A majority of Draconia had never heard of a Night Fury, so to them Tenor was half Blackfang and half unknown. No one knew where he came from or why he was abandoned as an egg. Because of all the ridicule, Tenor rarely left the castle by himself in the daytime. He spent the days in his room alone, and only came out at night to hunt and fish. Finding a mate was near impossible for him, and he thought he would have to spend the rest of his life alone. That is until he met Windwalker. She was a female Night Fury with honey golden eyes, and a few scars on her flank. She was the alpha of a squadron of dragons currently living on Mt. Vulcan, one of Draconia's volcanic islands. She was one of the few dragons who didn't see Tenor as a freak.

Windwalker and Tenor had a lot in common. They loved fighting bad guys, they both had a lot of adrenaline, they both hunted at night, and they both had riders. Tenor's rider was a beautiful dragon healer named Serenity. She was human in form and dragon in blood, making her stay the same age forever. She had a beautiful round face, emerald green eyes, and light golden brown hair. She wore a green shirt, blue leather jacket and trousers, dark brown boots, black leather fingerless gloves, and a cowboy hat that was covered in black dragon scales. She was one of the two humans in the world who could speak to dragons in their own tongue.

The other human was Windwalker's rider, Re and Aurora's adopted human son, and Serenity's husband Chris. He was a young man who had been abandoned as a baby, much like Tenor was. He was slightly taller than Serenity with tan skin, large ears, short black hair, and brown eyes. He wore a dark blue shirt, black pants and boots, and black leather trench coat that had seal fur on the sleeve cuffs. On his waist was his twin swords, which were his signature weapons. As well as being a skilled swordsman and dragon rider, he was also good at martial arts. For ten years of his life he had been separated from his family by the sea. During that time he met Windwalker and her friends and helped them fight the Song Dynasty. Eventually he was reunited with his family and life for the Draconians couldn't have been better.

They had a healthy alliance with the vikings and dragons of Berk. And they had the next generation. Re and Aurora's new dragonets were Prince Apollo and Princess Avalon. They were still quite young, and quite small. Avalon was teal green with purple horns, spines, and talons and she had lavender eyes. Apollo was blood red with golden horns, spines, eyes, and talons. The youngest member of the family was Serenity's and Chris's daughter, Edelweiss. She was still a tiny baby, small enough to fit in the baby sling Serenity made. She looked like the perfect combination of both her parents. She had a round face, tan skin, black hair, green eyes, and large ears.

At the moment Chris, Serenity, the children, and Windwalker were all gathered at Serenity's dragon hospital. Windwalker was not feeling well, she felt tired. She mostly spent her time under Serenity's Golden Apple Tree, in the soft Dragonnip. The other three dragons were helping the village of Berk prepare for winter. Serenity had just recently told Windwalker that she was growing an egg. Both Tenor and Windwalker didn't know what to make of this news. They were excited, and nervous all at once. The two of them slept in the large house that sat across the lawn from the apple tree. The house was plenty big enough for both dragons and both their riders.

Windwalker was sitting in the golden shade of the apple tree, one day. She felt exhausted, but wasn't too thrilled about sitting around doing nothing. The rest of the Draconians, except Serenity and Edelweiss, were all down at the arena taking turns in the sparing circle. Serenity was sitting in her chair making clothes for when Edelweiss got older. She looked over at Windwalker and saw that she was chomping at the bit.

"I know you want to be down there," she said. "But you don't have the strength right now. And you run the risk of smashing your egg."

"Yes, I know," Windwalker said. "It's a huge change for me is all."

"It's a big change for Tenor too I'm sure," Serenity said. "Several years ago he had lost all hope in starting his own family."

"To be honest, so did I," Windwalker admitted. "Well I'm going for a walk, I refuse to die of boredom." She slowly got to her feet and stretched.

"Ok, please be careful," Serenity said. For some reason this annoyed Windwalker. Serenity was a kind person for sure, but she was always so cautious. And her version of being careful was not fighting or doing much else. Serenity was a good person, but not very fun.

Windwalker went down to the arena to watch the sparing matches. Re was planning on turning Dragon Island into a summer home, and adding their own sparing arena so the Draconians weren't always borrowing Berk's. Windwalker spotted Aurora in the spectators area. She joined her.

"Hello Aurora," Windwalker said. "Are you not sparing?"

"I will," Aurora said. "As soon as this match is over. But it's been going on for almost five minuets now."

"You know, I've never seen you spar," Windwalker said.

"I'm usually the one who keeps Serenity company, and keeps her from going mad with worry," Aurora said.

"That girl worries a little too much," Windwalker said. "Is it really necessary?" Aurora looked sideways at Windwalker.

"She just cares so much about us and doesn't want to loose anyone that she loves," the Queen explained. "You can sympathize with that right?"

"Yes, I suppose," Windwalker said. She sat on her haunches and turned back to the matches.

Chris was taking on Re and Tenor at the same time. There were many obstacles throughout the arena; walls, tables, a sharpening stone, and large boulders. So far no one had won because both Chris and the dragons were fast learners. Re and Tenor decided to play fair and not use their titan wing. Eventually they called a draw, before the wore themselves out. Aurora got to her feet and went down into the arena.

"That was a fine show," she said, amused.

"You think you can give a better one?" Re challenged. Aurora pawed the ground in anxiety. Tenor and Chris left the arena, giving them space. She promised to not use her magic as a cheat. The two of them circled each other, gnashing their teeth. Then Re rushed at Aurora, his head low. The Queen only stopped where she was and stood there quietly. She spotted a low wall behind her. When Re was close enough, Aurora quickly jumped into the air. Re was running so fast he didn't stop fast enough to avoid hitting the wall. He ran right into it, and it stunned him. Aurora landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Each of the royal dragons had different talents that worked well in their favor when sparing: Re was the most powerful, Tenor was the most clever, Windwalker was the most aggressive, and Aurora was the most patient. Chris had interpreted all four talents. Re went limp, indicting surrender. Aurora nuzzled him, then got off. Re got to his feet and they left the arena. They joined the other three.

"That was fast," Windwalker said. "It seems Re doesn't stand a chance." Re snorted. They made their way back to the apple tree.

When they got there they found Serenity asleep in her chair, Edelweiss asleep on her lap, and the two dragonets asleep on the Dragonnip. The whole hospital was dead quiet. Chris sat in his chair and the dragons laid in the Dragonnip. Re lit the campfire. Windwalker was feeling exhausted again. She leaned on Tenor's shoulder and soon feel asleep as well.

"Aurora, can you see if the hatchling will be a boy or girl?" Tenor asked. Aurora stared straight ahead and her face went blank.

"I can foresee that it will be a girl, and that she will look like you Tenor," she said after a few minuets. "Part Blackfang, part Night Fury." Tenor perked his ears up at this. Aurora could see a few other things as well. She could foresee hurtful things being said, and a lesson being learned. She lowered her head over her two dragonets and nuzzled them.

"You make it look so easy," Windwalker said, watching her. Aurora smiled.

"Well, you only have one egg," she said. "I had two, at the same time."

"It was stressful I could tell," Windwalker said.

"Mmm, yes it was," Aurora said. "Not to mention painful. But it I was able to bare it." She looked over at her daughter-in-law, still asleep. Windwalker followed her gaze.

"She's been sitting in that chair all day," she said.

"Well, you've seen what a detected dragon healer she can be," Re said. "She's been known to go a whole week without sleep when she has a dragon in critical condition."

"That's true," Windwalker said. "That's pretty sad."

"Yes," Re agreed. "So I want her to be well rested before hand." Suddenly Aurora's face went blank again.

"I can foresee that this egg will be the least of your problems," she said. No sooner had she said this then Fishlegs and Meatlug came up the hill, Fishlegs looked beyond excited. Tenor jumped to his feet.

"Can we help you?" he said, swishing his tail back and forth threateningly.

"I was wondering if I could document the egg when it's laid," Fishlegs said. Both Windwalker and Tenor narrowed their eyes.

"Why?" Tenor asked.

"It will be an addition to the Night Fury section of the Book of Dragons," Fishlegs said. Tenor flared his nostrils.

"Maybe," he said. "It depends on how well you behave yourself around it. I still remember you kicking Aurora's eggs, what makes you think you're going to get close to this one?"

"I said I was sorry," Fishlegs said.

"Yes, you said you were sorry," Tenor said. "And then you knocked over Edelweiss's cradle."

"I swear on pain of death by your venom, that this new egg will be under no threat from me," Fishlegs said.

"You better," Tenor said. Fishlegs and Meatlug turned and left, and Tenor laid back down next to Windwalker.

"Nicely done little brother," Re said. Tenor gave a proud snort.

"Fishlegs is going to keep bothering about this," Aurora said. "I can foresee it."

"Then he'll have to put up with a pair of very annoyed dragons," Windwalker said. Tenor looked towards the west and saw that the sun was about to set. He got to his feet again.

"Well, the hour has come for the nightly dragons," he said. He stretched his wings.

"I want to go with you," Windwalker said.

"No," Tenor said firmly. "Serenity said the bigger this egg gets the more of your energy it will take up, and I don't want you crashing into the ocean." Windwalker glared at Serenity out of the corner of her eyes. Then she slumped down. Tenor nuzzled her. Then he spread his wings and took off.

"You're not used to staying home so much are you?" said Aurora.

"No," Windwalker said. "Not even when I was ever injured."

"Well, this is different," said Aurora. "You aren't injured."

"I know," Windwalker said, sounding frustrated. Aurora turned her attention to the three humans, all of whom were sound asleep. Rather than just wake them up, the Queen used her magic to put all three of them in their respective beds.

"They've had a long day," Re said. "Shame humans don't have the same stamina as dragons."

"Oh well," Aurora said. "Everyone's different." She snuggled close to Re, and covered Apollo and Avalon with her wing. They were all asleep in minuets. Windwalker decided to wait up for Tenor, since she didn't feel the least bit sleepy. She jumped onto one of the bigger, and stronger branches of the apple tree. She passed the time by munching apples.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Tenor flew through the starlight. There was no moon, just stars. He kept his eyes and ears out for food. Soon he landed on a deserted island. He sniffed the air, and caught a sent of birds nearby. He took off again and followed his nose. He flew over a large pond, full of ducks. Tenor only had duck once in his life. He landed in the trees surrounding the pond and crept up on it. He shut off every noise he usually made. He crouched low to the ground and kept his eyes on the ducks. They didn't seem to sense him. Tenor focused on the duck closest to him. It was an old Mallard duck. Tenor kept his wings slightly open incase he had to chase it. Very carefully he emerged from the trees. Then he fired a plasma blast at the duck and hit it, cooking it on the spot. The other ducks scattered. Tenor roared and took off after them. He put on a burst of speed and was able to catch three more ducks. He gathered them up and headed back to the pond. He picked up the other duck and headed for home.

He landed to find everyone sound asleep. He flew up to the ledge above the house and set his ducks down. He turned around and took off again. There was still so much time before sunrise, he planned to hunt until then. He went from place to place hunting everything he could. He kept within dragon law and didn't kill females or the young. He managed to bring back deer, boars, a few seagulls, and many fish.

When the sun began to rise, Tenor landed with his latest buck. He landed on the dragonnip to find his comrades wide awake.

"Hello," he said cheerfully.

"Looks like you had a successful hunt," Re said with a yawn.

"Yup, what other kind of hunt would I have?" Tenor said, proudly. He saw Windwalker on the branch of the tree, still fast asleep. Tenor decided to leave her be for the moment.

"With all that game you brought back, we won't need to hunt for a while," Aurora said.

"Yes, it gives me some free time on my talons," Tenor said. He looked up at his mate on the branch. He grabbed one of his ducks and flew up onto the branch, landing on it as gently as he could without waking her. He put the duck right in front of her where she would see it when she woke up. Then Tenor flew down to his comrades.

"I wonder if she's ever had duck before," said Aurora. "I haven't."

"I have had one duck in my life," Tenor said. "They can be pretty hard to catch." At that moment Hiccup and the other riders came up the hill. Hiccup was holding the Book of Dragons.

"Still trying to get close to the new egg?" Re hissed.

"No," Hiccup said. "That's just Fishlegs. I wanted to know how old the dragon race is." Re shot a warning glare at Fishlegs.

"Dragons are very old," Aurora said. "Over millions of decades old, far older then humans."

"Who was the first dragon?" asked Eret.

"I believe Berk has met her before," Aurora said. "The big, black sea dragon, Shark."

"I remember that one," said Fishlegs. "It smashed our whole docks with her tail." Aurora chuckled.

"She really hates humans," she said. "There are some exceptions though."

"And what is she to you?" asked Astrid. "A cousin? Or a sister?"

"Shark was created by Draco, like I was," Aurora said. "Some would consider her the closest thing I have to a sister. But I personally consider her the closest thing I have to a mother."

"How many dragons are there in the world?" asked Hiccup.

"Oh, there are many of us throughout the world," Re said. "There are many different cultures of dragons. You could spend the rest of your life traveling the world and you still wouldn't have found every single one. There's the Southeastern Megalania, the Anglo-Saxon Wyvern, the Basilisk, the Greek Hydra, the African Amphisbaena, the Middle Eastern Amphitere, the Tropical Quetzalcoatl, the Polynesian Moo, the Eastern Lóng, and us."

"That does sound like a lot," said Astrid. "And they're all under your rule?"

"No," said Tenor. "We're in charge of the dragons in Draconia, and any other who want us as their rulers."

"Unfortunately our kind is slowly fading into mythology," Aurora said. "Fewer and fewer dragons are seen my humans every year."

"Why?" asked Fishlegs.

"Dragons are being killed by humans," Re said. "And the only way to keep our kind from being wiped out is to fake our own extinction. That's why Draconia exists, so dragons have somewhere to go to escape extinction, without the humans knowing."

"That's sad," said Fishlegs.

"Mmmhmm," said Aurora. "But we will survive, you can be sure of that."

"Any other questions?" asked Re.

"No, I think that will do for now," Hiccup said. "Thanks. Good luck with that egg Tenor."

"Thanks," Tenor said. "Could you do me a favor and keep Fishlegs as busy as possible, so he's not bugging us all the time? The last thing we want, is for that egg to be accidentally kicked off the cliff."

"Sure Tenor," said Hiccup. Tenor gave a nod of graduated. The riders turned and headed back down the hill. Tenor yawned, exhausted after that long night of hunting. He leaped back onto the branch Windwalker was sleeping on. He laid down in front of her and fell asleep. Re turned to Aurora.

"So what do you want to do today?" he asked.

"How about we go scout out Dragon Island," said Aurora. "We should get started planning our summer castle soon."

"Ah, good idea," Re said. "And tomorrow it's back into the arena."

"Apollo! Avalon!" Aurora called. The two said dragonets flew down from the top of the apple tree and landed in front of their elders. They all spread their wings and took off.

Much later that evening, Serenity checked on Windwalker's egg. She could hear the hatchling's heartbeat more clearly each day, indicating that it was getting bigger. Windwalker had eaten the duck Tenor had caught for her. After that Serenity started dinner. Windwalker laid next to Tenor under the tree.

"It seems you lot are more educated then I thought," Windwalker said.

"What are you talking about?" Tenor asked.

"I heard you talking to the riders earlier," Windwalker said. "You're not the only one who can eavesdrop in their sleep."

"Ah, it must be a Night Fury thing," Tenor said. "Toothless has that talent too."

"What are you going to do tomorrow?" Windwalker asked.

"Re wants to do another training session in the arena," Tenor said. "He wants to up his dragonets' fighting skills."

"No sparring?" Windwalker asked.

"No," Tenor said. "We all know how to fight, and they're just getting started."

"Good point," Windwalker said.

"Besides," Tenor said. "If we keep sparring everyday, Serenity will have to spend everyday alone."

"You know the world doesn't revolve around her," Windwalker said.

"No it doesn't," said Tenor. "But everyone deserves to be happy, and what makes her happy is being around all of her family."

"I suppose," Windwalker said. "I wish there was something I could do." She laid her head down on her front paws.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I caught a lot of game last night so the rest of us won't be doing much either," Tenor said.

"Still," Windwalker said. "I don't want to die of boredom."

"You won't," said Tenor. "You can come watch the training tomorrow." This seemed to satisfy Windwalker, for the moment.

For the next few days the Draconians didn't do much. They all helped around the village like the rest of the dragons. Serenity stayed under her tree, keeping Windwalker company. Windwalker could feel her egg getting bigger and bigger. She and Tenor went flying every night to keep her wings from cramping up. They were all getting excited about the egg, especially Fishlegs. Hiccup was keeping him and Meatlug so busy that Fishlegs didn't get a chance to go up to the apple tree. But whenever Tenor was in the village with is comrades, Fishlegs would bombard him with questions. So Tenor spent most of his time with Windwalker. She was getting more and more restless, and itching to go out and do something.

One day, she saw that all the food Tenor had caught was running low. They had only two bucks left. Windwalker thought this was a perfect opportunity to make herself useful. She secretly planned to sneak out the following night and hunt. She would stay around Berk incase something went wrong. She told no one of this, as everyone would try and talk her out of it. She laid low until everyone was asleep. Tenor wasn't planning on going out for a few more days.

When they were all out, Windwalker snuck out from under the apple tree. She quietly spread her wings and took off. She could feel the egg weighing her down slightly, as though it was telling her not to do this.

"I'll just get one or two boars, and no more," Windwalker told herself. "Then I'll go back to sleep, and no one will know I left." She flew low over the trees, looking for prey. Little did she know was that there was another dragon, buried in the sand, on the island that she would soon run into a conflict with.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Windwalker had a successful hunt. She killed three boars and flew them back to the apple tree. She put them next to the bucks Tenor killed. Then she laid next to Tenor, and fell asleep. She felt slightly better about the whole ordeal.

The next day, the other dragons woke up. I didn't take Tenor and the others long to notice the extra boars.

"Looks like someone went hunting last night," Aurora said. She looked at Tenor.

"Don't look at me," Tenor said, raising his wings in surrender. "I planned to hunt tomorrow night." Re looked over at Windwalker. The others followed his gaze.

"She wouldn't," Tenor said, shocked. "Serenity, will you check the egg? Just incase." Serenity pulled her silver stethoscope out of her pocket and knelt down beside Windwalker. She listened to the hatchling's heartbeat.

"It's sound's ok," she said. "It doesn't feel damaged in any way." Tenor let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Huge puffs of smoke streamed out of his nostrils.

"Relax Tenor," Aurora said. "I can still foresee the egg hatching." Tenor went over to his mate and nudged her head. Windwalker was so out, that she didn't even stir.

"I guess I'll have to confront her about this when she wakes up," Tenor said. He laid down in the Dragonnip. Re and Aurora went down to help around the village. Re was also giving both Hiccup and Toothless some coaching on being a leader.

Tenor stayed under the apple tree the whole time; both to keep an eye on Windwalker, and so he wouldn't have to put up with Fishlegs. He waited for her to wake up, so he could ask her a few questions. But she stayed asleep all day. Serenity stayed at home as well. She had pretty much nothing to do. Edelweiss was sleeping as well, so she sat in her chair and did some more sewing. Tenor watched her absentmindedly.

"You do a whole lot of that," he said.

"Have you never wondered why I'm so good at stitching up wounds?" Serenity said, without looking up.

"Oh, is that why you're always sewing?" Tenor asked.

"Yes," Serenity said. "It is more useful for me than you may think." She kept her eyes on the thing that she was sewing, which at the moment was a small stuffed dragon toy for Edelweiss. She had gotten the idea from Valka, who did the same for Hiccup when he was a baby. Serenity was making it look like Lord Draco.

They day went by quietly, with no incidences. The sun set in the west. Re prospered the training session for now. He planned to do it the day after tomorrow. There was just too many things to be done around the village.

But eventually, all the Draconians gathered under the apple tree. Windwalker still hadn't woken up. Tenor was getting sleepy. He decided he would confront Windwalker in the morning. He fell asleep right next to her. But the minuet he drifted off, Windwalker woke up. She got to her feet and stretched. She checked to make sure everyone was sleeping, then she snuck out of the hospital again.

She spread her wings and took off, heading into the forested. She soon spotted more boars below. She landed in the shrubs near the boars. She picked out the biggest ones. She stalked the boars to an open section. When they stopped, Windwalker stopped as well. She kept to the shadows. She sized up the boars, and picked out the absolute biggest. She never took her eyes off it. She slowly crept closer. It was digging up worms, not even sensing the danger. Then when she was close enough, Windwalker pounced and pinned the boar down. It squealed and wriggled under the dragon's powerful paws. Windwalker grabbed the boar's head, and with a quick twist, broke it's neck.

She carried her prey back to the apple tree, then went out to get more. She planned to stay out for as long as she had the energy. She went fishing, and got more boars. She was having such a good time, that time totally got away from her.

When she came back with three large boars, the sun was up and the other Draconians were wide awake. They were all glaring at her when she landed.

"So the truth comes out," Tenor said. "You've been sneaking out at night." Windwalker glared back.

"Well I wasn't going to sit around doing nothing," Windwalker said. "I wanted to go out and do something."

"And risk crushing your egg?" Re growled. "Serenity said you shouldn't do too much or you could risk hurting both the egg and yourself."

"What does she know?" Windwalker snapped, her voice rising. "All she does is sit around all day doing nothing. She doesn't know what it's like to be a warrior unable to fight. All she's good for is sewing. She's only useful when someone's hurt, and no one wants that to happen. She's nothing but lazy and useless. If I want to go out hunting I will, and none of you can stop me!" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and took off.

The Draconians stood there, stunned. Everyone turned and looked at Serenity. She was completely still and quiet. But she blinked her eyes rapidly like she was about to cry. Tenor nudged her.

"Hey are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I-I'll be okay," Serenity stamered. "It's not like I've never been insulted before." Immediately her finger traced the thin scar on her right cheek. It was where she had been hit by a shovel by her old family, when she was five. Chris gripped her hand, and gently pulled it way from her face. He could see tears in her eyes, indicating that she wasn't as okay as she pretended to be. He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about her," Chris said. "She can be stubborn."

"Are you going to go after her?" Re asked Tenor.

"I will," Tenor said. "But first I will let her blow off steam."

"She's going to go out again," Serenity said, her voice was shaky.

"Then I'll follow and try to stop her," Tenor said. He spread his wings and took off.

Windwalker flew over the island and the ocean. She was still fuming. But there was a small part of her that felt ashamed. She had just insulted the girl who had saved her life, and the lives of countless others. She made a promise to herself that the minuet she got back she would apologize first thing. But for now she needed some time alone to cool off. She could feel her egg weighing her down, so she stayed right next to the island.

Back at the apple tree much later, everyone was cooling off after what happened. Serenity sat in her chair. She hadn't said a word. The others, especially Chris were getting worried about her. Neither Tenor nor Windwalker returned for the rest of the day.

When the sun set, they all went to bed. Serenity laid in bed beside Chris, facing him. Windwalker's words were still running through her mind; lazy, useless, and good for nothing. She was starting to wonder if it was true. She didn't know how to fight, she had never picked up a weapon. Every time her family went off to war, she had to stay behind because they were worried she would get hurt. When she wasn't healing dragons, she was nothing but dead weight. Chris was watching her the whole time.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Are you sparring tomorrow?" Serenity asked. She decided that she was going to more than just sit around waiting for someone to get hurt so she could be useful.

"Yes," Chris said. "Bright and early, why?"

"Just wondering," Serenity said.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Chris asked. "You've been very quiet." He gently cupped her face. Serenity gave in.

"I'm starting to wonder if Windwalker's right," she said. "I'm only useful when someone's hurt or sick, and that rarely happens because dragons take good care of themselves. I..." Chris quieted her with a quick kiss, then he hugged her.

"Serenity, you're not useless or lazy," he whispered. "You're very patient and full of love. You make everyone around you feel better, and that's why I love you so much." Serenity buried her face into his chest. They fell asleep moments later.

Sometime later, Serenity woke up, her mind still troubled. She was trying to come up with something to make her feel less useless. She didn't know how to fight, but perhaps she could at least set up the arena and sharpen Chris's swords. She made up her mind. She checked to make sure Chris was sound asleep. Then she quietly snuck out of bed and over the coat rack where Chris's twin swords were hanging with his coat. She picked them up, went outside, and headed towards the arena.

Out in the woods, Windwalker had landed, she had run out of the energy needed for flying. She knew she should go back and apologize to Serenity, but she still wanted to hunt. So she promised herself that she would hunt one boar, then go back and set things right. She began looking for boars to hunt. Suddenly she heard a roar from under her feet and her animal instincts blared. She tensed up, and growled. Her eyes scanned for the source of the noise. Then she was knocked off her feet by a powerful force. She hit the ground, stunned. Then she saw a large dragon stalking towards her, growling.

At first Windwalker thought it was another Night Fury. But as it got closer she saw that it wasn't. It was brown, and had barbs in the place of fins on the end of its tail. Windwalker recognized it as a Sand Wraith. She realized that it had been hiding under the dirt, and she guessed that she had woken it up somehow. She got to her feet and took up a fighting stance. They circled each other, snarling. Then the Sand Wraith shot a blast of fire and hard sand. Windwalker dodged it and shot a plasma blast at the Sand Wraith, who dodged also. Then the Wraith tackled her to the ground, and they bit and clawed at each other. Unfortunately fighting the Sand Wraith was rapidly using up Windwalker's energy and she was losing strength. The Wraith suddenly grabbed her by the neck and flung her into a nearby boulder. She smacked into it, hard. The Sand Wraith slowly prowled towards her. Windwalker tried to unlock her titan wing, but she didn't have enough energy. She saw the Wraith coming closer, swinging its tail back and forth menacingly. Windwalker slowly and painfully got to her feet, if she had to she would die protecting her egg. She would fight to her last breath. But while she was concentrating on getting to her feet, the Sand Wraith shot a sand blast at her smacking her into the rock a second time.

It was just about to come in and finish her off, when there was a loud familiar screech. The Sand Wraith was knocked off it's feet. Windwalker looked up to see Tenor in front of her snarling at the Sand Wraith. They were snarling at each other. They pounced and started rolling in a ball, scratching at each other. Tenor managed to pin the other dragon to the ground. He was about to bite it's neck when the Sand Wraith swung his tail around and stabbed the barbs on the end into Tenor's shoulder. He roared in pain, which gave the Sand Wraith the opportunity to shove him off. Tenor fell to the ground in pain, blood was everywhere. The Sand Wraith advance on him. Tenor quickly got to his feet, ignoring the pain. The Sand Wraith jumped up at him, but he jumped over it.

He shot a plasma blast at it, but it dodged. It then shot a sand blast, which was also dodged. Then they pounced on each other again. The Sand Wraith had a shorter neck then Tenor, so it was able to sink its razor sharp teeth into Tenor's neck and shoulders. Tenor screamed again. The Sand Wraith also scratched huge gashes in Tenor's scales, which caused him more pain. Tenor managed to shove it off. Then the two of them disappeared into the dark woods. Windwalker was still catching her breath. She could hear a commotion coming from the woods. Then, silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Back at the arena, Serenity was busy pulling out all the obstacles her fellow Draconians would use during their sparring matches. When they were all out and set up, she sharpened Chris's swords. She was just about to finish, when she heard Tenor's roars of pain. She immediately put the swords away and grabbed her medical bag, which she had brought with her. She reached into it and pulled out a long, black, metal tube. She flicked a switch on the side of it, and the wider end of it lit up. Inside the tube was a large glowing crystal. She pointed the light forward and set out to find out what was going on.

Windwalker waited anxiously to see who had won. She didn't have to wait long. Soon Tenor emerged from the shrubs. He was limping badly, his left hind leg was broken. When he reached the clearing he collapsed. He was breathing heavily, indicating that he was in excruciating pain. Windwalker heaved herself onto her feet. She crawled over to Tenor, and got a better look at his injuries. He had bite and scratch marks all over his body, except for his wings. Windwalker nudged his head gently. There was a huge gash in his forehead.

"Tenor? Can you hear me?" Windwalker whispered. Tenor groaned and scrunched up his face. But then he slowly opened his eyes.

"I can hear you," he said in a hoarse, broken whisper. Windwalker breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Tenor I'm so sorry I didn't listen," she said. "Please say you're going to be okay."

"To be honest, I don't know," Tenor whispered. "I'll be lucky if I last the night."

"What happened to the Sand Wraith?" Windwalker asked. Tenor snapped his teeth together.

"Quick bite," he said.

"Oh," Windwalker said.

"Yeah," Tenor said. "Do my a favor and don't tell Serenity, it would make her very upset."

"Really? She would be upset over a Sand Wraith than you?" Windwalker asked.

"She values the life of all dragons," Tenor said. "Not just me. She hates it when dragons fight, especially when one gets killed."

"But all dragons fight, sooner or later," Windwalker said. "If she doesn't like it, then maybe the dragon world isn't really for her."

"Well we're the only family she has," Tenor said. "If we're all killed in battle, she'll have no where to go."

"Speaking of Serenity, maybe I should go find her," Windwalker said. She turned to go.

"No," Tenor said as loud as he could. "Don't leave me, I don't want to be alone." Windwalker laid next to him.

"Are you afraid to die?" she asked.

"Erm, a little," Tenor admitted. "But I'd rather die next to family, than die alone." Windwalker nuzzled him, and he purred.

"Thank you," she said. Tenor smiled. "I guess it wasn't fair of me to call Serenity useless and lazy."

"No it wasn't," Tenor said. "If you knew her for as long as we have, you'd see why we value her so much."

"Does it have to do with her past? Is that why she's so against fighting?" Windwalker asked, she was trying to keep Tenor talking.

"Mmm, I'm sure it played a big roll," he said. "She doesn't like to talk about it."

"Why not? Sometimes that helps," Windwalker said.

"She says she doesn't want to burden us with her worries," Tenor said. "Especially when we have other things to worry about." His eyes were getting heavy.

"What exactly happened?" Windwalker asked. "All Chris said was that she came to the castle all bloody and beaten."

"I will tell you everything I was was told," Tenor said, his voice was getting weaker. "She spent the first five years of her life being abused. They rarely fed her and they made her sleep in the basement which was no cleaner than this very clearing. As a result she was very much alone.

Then she met Ruby. He changed her life, and she wasn't so alone. Shortly after that her family said 'we're going to punish you for being friends with that dragon, if you won't get rid of it then we're going to get rid of you'. Then they beat her up, with their fists and feet, and with a shovel. Then she was thrown out onto the street, at night, in the rain and mud. Ruby found her and brought her to our castle. When she came here she was in very bad shape. She was beaten up, filthy, scared out of her mind, and half starved to death. Ruby raised her as his own, and well, you've seen the results."

"Is that where she got the scar on her face?" Windwalker asked. Tenor nodded. He laid his on the ground and closed his eyes.

"Tenor?" Windwalker panicked. "Tenor?" He didn't stir. She nudged him harshly. He opened his eyes an inch and looked at her. She could barely see the tears in his eyes. Then she could feel tears running down her own face. She nuzzled him again

"I love you," she whispered in his ear.

"I love you too," Tenor said in a whisper so quiet she could hardly hear him. He closed his eyes again and his whole body seemed to relax with a groan. Windwalker laid her head next to his, their noses touching.

Suddenly there came a loud rustling in the shrubs. Windwalker sat up and looked around. Then there came a bright light from the darkness. Windwalker growled. But then Serenity emerged into the clearing, holding her light and her medical bag. Windwalker breathed a huge sigh of relief. She'd never thought she'd be so happy to see the dragon healer.

"Oh Serenity thank goodness," she said, so relieved. She slowly got to her feet.

"What happened?" Serenity asked, shining her light on Tenor. She immediately rushed over and knelt down near his head.

"I was attacked by a Sand Wraith," Windwalker said. "Then Tenor came to my rescue, he got hurt really bad. I don't even now if he's still alive." Serenity pulled out her stethoscope and listened to Tenor's heartbeat. She also put a hand next to his nostrils, checking to see if he was still breathing.

"He's still alive," she said finally. "He's just sleeping, it's the only way to escape pain." She pulled her bag over and opened it up. Windwalker moved out of the way so Serenity could address Tenor's wounds.

"His left hind leg is broken I think," Windwalker said.

"Okay, thank you," Serenity said.

She got right to work. She cleaned all Tenor's wounds with Night Fury saliva. Then she stitched them all up one by one. Windwalker watched quietly, amazed at how fast and carefully Serenity sewed.

When all the wounds were stitched up, Serenity began wrapping them up in bandages. Luckily Tenor's wings and fins were undamaged. He wasn't wearing his saddle, bridle, or armor. When he was bandaged up, Serenity addressed his broken leg. Tenor stayed asleep the whole time.

"Serenity, I'm so sorry for what I said earlier," Windwalker said quietly. "I know you're not lazy or useless." Serenity paused in her work. And stroked Windwalker's nose.

"It's okay Windwalker," she said. "I forgive you." The Night Fury purred and licked her face. Serenity giggled and hugged the dragon's head. Then Serenity turned back to Tenor's leg.

"Is he going to be okay?" Windwalker asked, worried.

"He's going to be just fine," Serenity said without looking up. Then Windwalker spotted the tube with a light coming out the end.

"What's that thing?" she asked.

"Aurora calls it, a flashlight," Serenity said. "Humans will invent them later. But they will use electricity, the dragons use the glowing crystals. It's quite handy."

She fixed his leg and wrapped it up in a cast. With all his wounds addressed Serenity put her things away. She reached into her bag and pulled out Tenor's bridle. She slid it onto his head and secured it. She then pulled out her tiny vile of Dragonroot extract. She waved it under Tenor's nostrils. The sent was so strong that it woke him up and he jumped to his feel. Serenity quickly corked the vile and put it away. She got to her feet with her flashlight. Tenor shook his head.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"Serenity came just in time," Windwalker asked. Tenor looked down at his rider. He gently nuzzled her cheek.

"Bless your heart love," he said. Serenity hugged his head.

"You think you can walk?" she asked. "The arena's not too far."

"I suppose," Tenor said.

"What about you Windwalker?" Serenity asked. Windwalker was about to answer when she was suddenly hit with pain. It felt like someone had head butted her in the stomach, and she knew what it was.

"Oh, no the egg," she groaned laying down. Both Tenor and Serenity rushed over to her. Tenor laid next to her, forgetting his injuries. Serenity opened her bag up again. She found her canteen which was full of water.

"Oh, I didn't think it was going to be so soon," Windwalker moaned.

"You're a different species than Aurora," Serenity said. "Some eggs grow faster than others. But it's okay." Windwalker curled into a ball, she could feel the egg move. Both Serenity and Tenor began coaxing her. Serenity gave her water, keeping her hydrated and it kept her from panicking. Other than that, Windwalker did all the work. She wiggled about and roared in pain. It felt like it took forever. But then Windwalker gave one last big heave, and the egg was out. She relaxed, breathing heavily. Luckily dragons couldn't sweat. Serenity gave her more water and she drained the whole canteen. Then she sat up and looked under her wing.

There was the egg; a round, black sphere the size of a small watermelon. Windwalker nuzzled it, happy that the painful part was over. Serenity pulled out her stethoscope and listened to the hatchling's heartbeat.

"It's sounds ok," she said.

"We should get it back to the village," Windwalker said.

"Can you make it back?" Tenor asked.

"Yes, but once I get there I'll probably go right to sleep," she answered. Serenity took off her riding jacket and wrapped it around the egg.

"I'm so glad that's over," Windwalker said as she got to her feet. Tenor slowly and painfully got to his feet. Serenity was the last to get up. She put her bag around her shoulders, and picked up her flashlight with her free hand. They all slowly made their way back to the arena.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

At some point during the night a violent storm blew over the island. The following morning it was very foggy and chilly. Chris woke up and found Serenity missing. He immediately jumped out of bed and put on his coat. He ran outside to find his parents waking up as well.

"Mom, Dad, Serenity's gone," he said. Aurora stared strait ahead and her face went blank.

"I can see where she is," she said. "Follow me." Chris mounted Re and they followed Aurora down to the arena. It was still foggy and hard to see.

Soon they landed at the arena. They looked around to see the obstacles all set up for sparring. Near the back Tenor and Windwalker were curled up together fast asleep. Serenity was laying across Tenor's shoulders, also asleep.

"Oh my!" Aurora said, spying all the bandages on Tenor. "What have these guys been up to?" Chris dismounted and approached them. He spotted his swords near Serenity's feet. He picked one of them up and pulled it out of its scabbard. The edge of it was razor sharp.

"She sharpened my swords," he said, putting the sword away.

"I guess she took Windwalker's comment personally," Re said. Chris knelt down and gently shook Serenity. When he touched her shoulder, he found it soaking wet as was the rest of her.

"Hey, wake up," he said. Serenity opened her eyes and sat up.

"Good morning," she said.

"What are you doing out here?" Chris asked.

"Doing something useful," Serenity said. She stretched and Chris helped her to her feet.

"You're freezing, have you been out here all night?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Serenity said. Chris took his coat off and put it around her shoulders. Aurora lowered her head and nudged Tenor. He opened his eyes and groaned in pain.

"What on Earth happened?" Aurora asked.

"Little problem with a Sand Wraith," Tenor said. "It attacked Windwalker, and I came and fought it off. It got me good but Serenity patched me up." They all looked at Serenity.

"Where's your jacket?" Aurora asked. Serenity smiled and went over to where she had put her jacket next to Windwalker. She picked it up and walked back to the others. She then unwrapped the jacked and showed everyone the egg. Everyone looked surprised.

"Wow, it looks just like Tenor's did," Re said.

"It's actually quite lucky Serenity showed up when she did," Tenor said. "I don't know if I would have lasted the night." He then turned and roused Windwalker. She stirred and sat up. She began sniffing around.

"Where's my egg?" she asked.

"It's right here," Serenity said, holding it up. Windwalker sighed.

"Lets get you guys back up to the apple tree," Aurora said. "You'll be more comfortable."

"Good idea," Windwalker said getting to her feet. They turned and headed out of the arena. Serenity carried the egg the whole way.

When they got back to the apple tree, Windwalker laid down in the Dragonnip. Serenity handed her the egg and she put it under her wing. Tenor laid down next to her, without putting pressure on his bad leg. Serenity and Chris sat in their chairs and Re and Aurora also laid down on the Dragonnip. Tenor and Windwalker brought everyone up on what happened the night before. Even though Tenor said the Sand Wraith got away, everyone but Serenity knew that the Sand Wraith didn't get away.

When the story was over the dragons settled down. Windwalker curled around her egg, covering it with her wing. Tenor laid down with his bad leg facing up. It was starting to bother him.

"So have you thought of any names for your hatchling?" Aurora asked.

"Well, you said it was going to be a female, and it was going to look like Tenor," Windwalker said. "I want to name her after something either fast or poisonous. Something like Roadrunner or Viper."

"What about Scorpion?" said Tenor. "Or Peregrine."

"Peregrine sounds pretty," said Windwalker.

"It's a type of falcon," Tenor said. "A very fast flyer."

"I know what it is," Windwalker said. "I saw one catch a sparrow once, it was quite impressive."

"How about Black Mamba," Re suggested. "It's a type of snake that's quite poisonous."

"I personally like the sound of Peregrine," Windwalker said. "It's got a nice feminine ring to it. But I won't make up my mind until it hatches." She settled down and laid her head on her paws. At that moment the riders came up the hill, Fishlegs was among them.

"Whoa what happened to him?" asked Tuffnut pointing at the bandages on Tenor.

"I had a fight last night with a Sand Wraith," Tenor said.

"A Sand Wraith!?" Hiccup and Fishlegs said in unison.

"Looks like you lost," said Astrid. Tenor was starting to look annoyed.

"Yeah, I was having an off day," he said. He tried making himself comfortable.

"And what of the egg?" asked Fishlegs. Windwalker slowly lifted her wing. They moved a bit closer to get a better look. They saw the black, round egg resting next to Windwalker's side.

"Wow, beautiful egg," said Astrid. Windwalker purred. Fishlegs tried to get a closer look, but Tenor was on his feet in a flash and blocked the way snarling.

"That's quite close enough," he hissed. Fishlegs backed up quickly. When he was a good distance away, Tenor relaxed a bit.

"Sorry about him Tenor," said Hiccup. "He tends to overreact around new dragons."

"Yes, so I've heard," Tenor said.

"I just want to document it in the Book of Dragons," Fishlegs said. "But to do that I would need to make measurements and such." Now Windwalker got to her feet growling.

"I wouldn't hurt it," Fishlegs said.

"Not intentionally no," Tenor snarled. "But how do I know you won't accidentally lose it or kick it into the ocean?"

"When will it hatch?" asked Hiccup.

"In a few months," Tenor said. "Hopefully I'll be cleared up by then." He laid back down as his it was causing his leg too much pain to stand any longer. Windwalker joined him.

"We'll let you rest," said Hiccup. "I hope to see you in the arena later."

"Oh, we'll be there," Re said.

The riders left to start their daily activities. Tenor kept trying to make himself comfortable, but he was in a lot of pain. Serenity gave him painkillers and rested his broken leg on a short log to help it heal better. Tenor soon fell asleep as the pain subsided.

As the weeks went by Tenor's injuries healed one by one. His broken leg kept him from moving around too much. He spent most of his days watching the egg, while Windwalker was in the sparing arena. She only did one match then went back to her egg. Serenity stayed under the tree, keeping all three of them company and looking after Edelweiss. The apple tree was usually quiet during the middle of the day. Whenever Re, Aurora, and Chris helped out around the village, they also kept Fishlegs from sneaking up to the tree and bothering Tenor and Windwalker. Whenever there was little to do around the village the dragons went fishing. They were all waiting for the egg to hatch.

A month went by with nothing. Tenor eventually fully recovered and was soon walking and flying again. Serenity gave him physical therapy to help him recuperate. Soon he too was helping around the village. He and Windwalker took turns looking after the egg. Whenever it was Tenor's turn to help around the village Fishlegs kept pestering him with questions, carrying pencil and paper. Tenor tried his best to ignore him, but it was very difficult and it made him angry.

One day, Tenor was with his comrades in the village, Fishlegs came up to him right on cue. Tenor growled, flashing his black teeth.

"Hey Tenor I wonder if I might weigh that egg," he asked. "I can do it quick while you guys are taking it easy." Tenor whirled around with a loud roar and pinned Fishlegs against the wall of the nearest house.

"I grow tired of telling you to back off and leave us a lone," the dragon hissed. "You better not touch our egg, or I will kill you. And if I were you, I wouldn't bring it up again." He released Fishlegs and walked off. Meatlug flew after him and landed in front of him.

"You wouldn't really kill him Prime Minister?" she asked, worried.

"Of course not, that would violate the treaty we stamped with Stoic," Tenor said. "But it seems like the only way I get him to listen is a threat on his life." He spread his wings and took off.

He landed at the apple tree later with his comrades. They all noticed that he had been grumpy all day. He folded his wings and laid down next to Windwalker. Avalon and Apollo were high up in the tree munching apples. Windwalker was watching them absentmindedly.

"Where did you get their names from?" she asked.

"Apollo is the Greek god of music," Serenity said. "And music plays a big part in our Draconian culture."

"Avalon is the name of the final resting place of Arthur Pendragon," Re said.

"Who's he?" asked Windwalker.

"He's the original owner of my table," Serenity said. "He was known as King Arthur, he was a very noble king."

"So you get names from mythology and fairy tails?" Windwalker said.

"Sure," said Re. "You can get lots of good names from mythology." Windwalker considered.

"I like the sound of Pendragon," she said. She leaned on Tenor's shoulder. "Well the name will come to me eventually I'm sure. Who's the Greek goddess of the night?"

"That would be Nyx," Serenity said.

"You seem to know quite a lot," Windwalker said.

"I've traveled all over the world," Serenity said. "I've seen both Greece and Rome. I usually stayed away from populated areas of course."

"You've traveled, why?" Chris asked.

"It gave me some distraction," Serenity said. "Not to mention it gave me a lot of knowledge." Chris griped her hand. He didn't have to ask why she needed distractions.

"What poisonous animals have you seen?" Windwalker asked.

"The most poisonous animal I've seen," Serenity said. "Is the Box Jellyfish. Their venom kills you slowly and painfully."

"Hmm, I like the name Nyx," Windwalker said. "Nice and short. But I'll keep brainstorming."

"Maybe you can give her a name that relates to one of you," Chris suggested. "Like Soprano."

"Oooh, that's a fun word to say," Windwalker said. "I'll keep it in the back of my mind." Then she yawned felling exhausted. She looked down at Tenor who was already sleeping. She licked his cheek, then rested her head on the top of his neck. The rest of the family went to sleep shortly afterwords.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

The closer it got to the day the egg was to hatch the more overprotective and paranoid Tenor got. Whenever the riders came to see the egg, he would jump into a fighting stance and gnash his venomous teeth. The others were growing concerned that he would hurt someone. He rarely left the apple tree and when he did he was always on edge like he was hunting. As the days went by, Tenor only got worse. The others were so sure that he was going to bite someone.

One night they stayed up late. Aurora used her magic to make Tenor fall asleep. Windwalker laid beside her egg. Re and Aurora joined them after all the children were put to bed. Serenity looked at her sleeping dragon, worried sick about him.

"Well what are we going to do about him?" asked Windwalker. "He's being way more aggressive than usual."

"To be fair he has a very good reason," Re said. "He's waited all his life for a family of his own, and he's not about to let anything bad happen to it."

"But the egg is in or real danger," said Windwalker. "What do you plan to do if he doesn't calm down? The last thing I want is for someone to be killed over this."

"If this continues, we'll have to keep him sedated until the egg hatches," Aurora said. "Serenity, do you have a sedative in that bag?"

"Um, yes I do," Serenity said. She sounded nervous.

"You should have it on standby just in case," said Re. Chris notice that his wife was fidgeting nervously. She was staring right at Tenor, it seemed she didn't hear what Re had said. Chris gripped her hand gently.

"Hey, did you hear what he said?" he asked. Serenity let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"I have to sedate my own dragon?" she asked in a small voice. The others looked at her concerned.

"You've sedated him before," Re said. "Every time he got himself badly wounded."

"But never as a punishment," Serenity said. "It seems so wrong."

"Well you don't have to sedate him yet," Re said. "But just keep it on standby. We'll see what tomorrow brings." With that they turned in for the night. Serenity was way nervous the whole time.

The next morning Re, Aurora, and Tenor went down to help around the village as usual. Serenity sat in her chair, her medical bag on her lap. Chris and Windwalker were sitting quietly.

"You should get that sedative ready," Windwalker suggested. "I get the feeling Tenor's going to loose his temper." Serenity heaved a big sigh. She zipped open her bag and slowly dug through it. Chris noticed that her hands were shaking.

"You don't want to sedate him do you," he said, it wasn't a question.

"He just wants to protect his family," Serenity said.

"I know," said Chris. "But we don't want anyone to get hurt or killed." Serenity turned back to her bag. She found a syringe and a small vile of clear liquid. She closed her bag and put it on the floor. She uncapped the needle, here hands shook more violently. She tried to fill the syringe but her hands were shaking too much. She could hardly hold the needle, and almost poked herself several times. Chris gripped her hand firmly.

"It's okay," he said softly. "I know it's not easy, drugging a friend."

"He saved my life once," Serenity said. "He was always there for me, like you and Ruby were. And this is how I repay him, by punishing him for wanting to protect his family."

"You're saving him from guilt," Windwalker said, trying to be reasonable. "And probably saving someone from his venom." Serenity sighed again, and gripped the needle firmly. She managed to get it into the vile and filled it with the sedative. Then she put the vile down. She put the cap back on the needle and set in next to the vile.

"I just hope he forgives me," she said. Chris got to his feet and pulled Serenity to her feet. He pulled her into his arms and she hugged him back.

"He'll be okay," he said, quietly. "You'll see. He will forgive you. Tenor's heart is in the right place, but his head isn't."

"He has a lot to lose," Serenity said.

"That he does," Chris agreed. They stood there for a minuet, then both sat back down. Serenity put the vile and needle back in her bag, preying to Lord Draco that she wouldn't need it.

Down in the village, Tenor was tensed up. He quickly scanned the village for Fishlegs. When he was no where to be seen Tenor relaxed, just a little bit. He walked through the streets. The other dragons and the Vikings stayed well out of his way, seeing that he was not in a good mood. He glanced at the path to the apple tree, incase Fishlegs tried to sneak up to it. Suddenly said viking appeared behind him, he didn't pick up on Tenor's mood.

"Has the egg hatched yet?" he asked. "I would like to make a few measurements before it does." Tenor growled and gripped the dirt in his talons.

"I'll make sure it doesn't leave your sight," Fishlegs continued. Tenor growled louder and slowly turned around. Fishlegs crossed his arms.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way you know," he said. "I'll steal the egg if I have to." This was the wrong thing to say. Tenor whirled around with a loud roar. He pinned Fishlegs to the ground, pressing his talons into his flesh. The other riders came to his aid.

"Tenor, what's going on?" Hiccup asked. Tenor ignored him. Hiccup went to grab the dragon's reins, but quicker than a snake Tenor roared and chomped down on Hiccup's arm. With an amazing stroke of luck Tenor didn't have his venomous teeth out, and to Hiccup it felt like he's slammed his fingers in a door hard. Hiccup shouted in surprise and quickly pulled his hand out. Astrid pulled out her ax and swung at Tenor. The dragon leaped at her roaring again. He caught the ax in his teeth and snapped the blade clean off. The other riders withdrew their weapons as Hiccup helped Fishlegs to his feet. Tenor went into a crouch ready to pounce. He gnashed his black teeth and swung his tail. Just as they were about to attack each other, Tenor was knocked off his feet by a powerful blow. He hit the ground and Re landed nearby. They circled each other snarling.

"What's the meaning of this?" Tenor hissed. "You're protecting the one who threatened to steel my egg?"

"I'm stopping you from doing something you'll regret later," Re snarled back. Tenor roared.

"I will do what I have to do, to keep my egg safe," he said. Then he lunged at Re. Tenor was blinded by fury, which made him easy to defeat. Re pounced as well. Sounds of clanging armor and dragon's roars filled the air. The whole village stopped to watch. Finally Re got the upper talon. He pinned Tenor to the ground, and gripped his throat tightly in his jaws. Aurora landed near by, Windwalker close behind. The Queen approached the two males, neither of which moved. Tenor glared at her and tried to wriggle free, but Re's grip was too strong. Suddenly his scales glowed red as he unlocked his titan wing. He growled louder. He shoved Re off easily. Both Aurora and Re unlocked their titan wing. They all pounced at the same time, and the clang of metal armor rang throughout the village again. The fight only lasted three minutes. Re and Aurora pinned Tenor down. Their grip combined was too strong for Tenor, even with his titan wing. Aurora secretly used her magic to muzzle him and chain him down. Re turned to the riders, all out of breath.

"Sorry about that," he said. "We'll take it from here."

"What do you plan to do?" asked Astrid. "He attacked Fishlegs, and bit Hiccup." Re looked at his ally in surprise.

"Then how are you still standing?" he asked.

"He didn't use his teeth," Hiccup said. "Very luckily too."

"Well, I plan to keep him sedated for a while," Re said. "Until he comes to his senses."

"And it'll work?" asked Hiccup.

"It should," Re said. "As long as Fishlegs doesn't push his luck any more."

"We'll keep Fishlegs out of trouble," said Hiccup. "As long as you keep Tenor out of trouble." Re flapped his wings to keep them from cramping.

"Deal," he said, folding his wings again. "And once I get Tenor under control, I'll even replace Astrid's ax." He then turned and helped Aurora get Tenor up towards the apple tree. Windwalker followed.

"Where's your egg?" Aurora asked.

"Serenity has it," Windwalker said. "I trust her."

"Does she have the sedative ready?" asked Re. "We'll need it at once."

"Yes, I saw her put into a needle just after you left," Windwalker said. "It took some persuading though." They soon arrived at the apple tree. They walked right to the tree trunk and set Tenor down in the shade. Aurora used her magic again to bind him with unbreakable, silver chains. Then she secured him to the tree. Serenity was about to run to him, but Chris held her back. Tenor struggled against the chains, snorting angrily.

"Trust me Brother," Re said angrily. "We don't want to do this, but you leave us no choice. I don't want you to hurt anyone, especially yourself. Serenity do you have the sedative?"

"I do," Serenity said, slightly scared.

"You should inject him with it at once," Re hissed.

"But Re," Serenity started to protest.

"Serenity!" Re said, his voice rising. He gave her a hard look. "That's an order." Serenity took a few deep, shaky breathes.

"Yes sir," she said quietly. She cave the egg to Windwalker and went over to her bag. She pulled out her needle and uncapped it, her hands shaking again. She went to Tenor and knelt beside him. Re and Aurora backed up a bit. Serenity stroked Tenor's neck.

"I'm so sorry Tenor," she whispered, on the verge of tears. Tenor looked surprised. Serenity then injected the sedative into the base of his neck. Tenor let out a long groan as his body relaxed under the sedative. Serenity stood up. Aurora made a few chains vanish, but kept the muzzle where it was. Then she saw the tears on Serenity's face. She lowered her head and nuzzled her.

"It's okay," she whispered. "I know that was hard."

"How long does he have to stay like this?" Serenity asked.

"Until the egg hatches at least," Re said. "Not for too long." Serenity placed a hand over her mouth. She looked like she was about to cry.

"I can't believe I just did that to a friend," she whimpered.

"How long will that sedative last?" Re asked.

"48 hours maximum," Serenity said. Re saw she was weakening.

"You should sit down," he said. "You're about to fall over." Serenity went over to her chair. She sat down and leaned back. Chris sat next to her. Serenity looked over at her dragon, and he looked back at her. A look of betrayal crossed his face. She gave him a look of apology. This was the dragon who had been with her through all her travels, and even rescued her from a Death Song dragon. Windwalker went over and laid beside her mate, and put her egg between them. Tenor felt grateful, and made sure it showed on her face. Windwalker nuzzle his head.

"Don't worry Tenor," she said. "Once this egg hatches you'll be released. It shouldn't take too long." She licked his cheek and laid her head beside his. He slowly wrapped his wing around her and they fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

They days went by quietly. Tenor stayed in his spot the whole time. Serenity had to give him another dose of the sedative every time it wore off. They all could tell it completely destroyed her whenever she had to do it. The only thing that made her feel slightly better was checking Windwalker's egg, and hearing the movement inside. The egg was due to hatch any day. Re and Aurora helped around the village, or sparred in the arena with Apollo and Avalon.

Serenity spent most of her time sitting on Tenor's other side. He liked that, it him showed her loyalty. He was still wearing the muzzle so he couldn't tell her that he didn't blame her in the slightest. The only time she left was to when she went to bed, or to take care of Edelweiss. Re and Aurora checked on him every once in a while. Tenor just laid there quietly.

Several weeks later Re, Aurora, and all three of their children came up to the tree from the arena. It was dusk and the sun was hiding behind the overcast of clouds. The hospital was quiet. Windwalker was checking her egg. Tenor was wide awake, but he couldn't move due the sedative. Serenity was dozing off next him, her hat pulled over her eyes and Edelweiss cradled in her arms.

"How is everyone doing?" asked Re quietly.

"We're all okay," said Windwalker.

"Any movement?" asked Aurora, looking at the egg.

"No," said Windwalker. "No one has moved all day." She looked at the other two. Chris knelt down in front of Serenity and gently lifted the brim of her hat.

"Hey, wake up," he said. Serenity opened her eyes and looked at him. She smiled.

"Oh, you're back," she said. "How was it?"

"It was pretty normal to be honest," Chris said, sitting next to her. "Apollo and Avalon have along way to go before they're ready to take me on." He chuckled softly. Serenity leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Right now I'm just handy for teaching them how to fight humans," Chris went on. Serenity smiled again and kissed his cheek. Then she looked over at Tenor. He was staring off into space, looking so bored.

"Re can I take off his muzzle?" Serenity asked. "I don't want him to starve." Re looked at his younger brother. He was looking rather miserable.

"Alright, he's earned it," Re said. Serenity handed Edelweiss to Chris, then turned to Tenor's head. She unbuckled the muzzle and slit it off. Tenor licked his lips, happy to have the muzzle off. Now he could talk. He raised his head as far as the sedative would allow.

"Serenity," he said weakly. "I don't blame you. I know you were just following orders. This is quite boring, sure, but I would have never been able to live with myself if I killed anyone." He laid his head down.

"You sure?" Serenity asked. Tenor nodded and closed his eyes. Serenity leaned against his shoulders. She took Edelweiss back in her arms. Chris wrapped an arm around her.

"You haven't gone flying in a long time," he said.

"I haven't really had an opportunity," Serenity said. "Tenor's been either injured or sedated." Tenor heard this.

"You can ride another dragon," he said. "I won't mind. I know you miss flying." Serenity considered for a moment, but she seemed to be taking her time. Chris gently ran the back of his fingers down her face.

"Please," he said. "We can ride Windwalker together, she needs to stretch her wings." Serenity sighed and put her hand on top of his.

"Alright," she said. Chris smiled, satisfied. They both got to their feet. Re and Aurora took Edelweiss, sling and all. Windwalker got up as well. She nuzzled Tenor's face. He slowly pulled the egg towards his body. Windwalker went over to Serenity and Chris, she was already wearing her saddle. Serenity was about to mount her, when Chris scooped her up into his his arms. She clung to his neck, quite surprised.

"I know how to mount a dragon," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Chris said, amused. He carefully put her on Windwalker's back, then got on in front of her. She wrapped her arms around him.

"But let's not be gone long," she said. "That egg could hatch at anytime, and I'm sure Windwalker wants to be present for it."

"We'll be back in no time," Chris said. Windwalker spread her wings and took off. Re and Aurora watched them fly away. The hospital grew very quiet. Aurora snuggled close to Re; she covered her dragonets with her wing, and wrapped her front paws around her granddaughter. Just then Hiccup came up the hill, followed by Toothless and Fishlegs. Re sat up.

"Yes?" he said.

"We were wondering if we could watch the egg hatch," said Hiccup. "We won't get too close." Re turned to Tenor.

"I can't object," Tenor said. "I don't wish be held prisoner under this sedative anymore, you may come watch."

"Thanks Tenor," said Fishlegs. "Meatlug will make sure I don't get in the way." Tenor nodded. The two riders left and Re turned back to Tenor.

"You don't have to let Fishlegs up here you know," he said. "That's not why we're keeping you sedated, it's so you don't loose your temper over this and kill someone."

"I promise I won't," Tenor said, it sounded like he was pleading. "Just please don't have Serenity give me anymore of that sedative." Re sighed.

"Alright, I think you've learned you lesson," he said. "Once this dose were's off you may get up." Tenor looked so relieved. He moved as much as he could.

The hospital grew quiet again. All three Draconians dozed off. The sun had set almost completely. The stars and full moon were starting to come out. Chris, Serenity, and Windwalker returned to find everyone fast asleep. Serenity and Chris dismounted. Windwalker went and laid down beside Tenor, her egg between the two of them. Chris looked at the egg.

"A lot of bad things have happened since that egg came," he said. Serenity wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"It's not the egg," she said. "It's the change, not everyone adjust so easily."

"You're right," Chris said. He smiled at her. "I'm so glad I have you back." She smiled back at him. He gave her a big hug. She hugged him back.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Well, no changes there then," Chris said, cheerfully. Serenity smiled wider. They pulled apart. Chris gently cradled her face in his hands. He was about to kiss her, when there came a loud cracking sound.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

All the dragons woke up when they too heard the cracking. They turned to the egg at once. Re went to get the other riders, so they could watch the egg as promised. Everyone else gathered around Windwalker and Tenor, Serenity held Edelweiss. The egg was rolling around. There were minor cracks in the shell. They all could hear the hatchling scratching at the eggshell. Re soon returned with the other riders and dragons. Windwalker brought the egg out in the open grass for all to see. It sat in a patch of moonlight. It cracked louder, small chips began breaking off.

"Why doesn't it just burst out?" asked Snotlout.

"Not all dragon hatchlings hatch at the same speed," said Re. "Tenor took this long to hatched out." They turned back to the egg. Tenor slowly got to his feet, the sedative had worn off enough to allow this. He joined his comrades. More chunks of egg fell off. They could see parts of the baby dragon. The moonlight gleamed off its scales. Suddenly a back leg burst out of the egg, followed by another. Then a tail popped out, with a pair of tiny tail fins on the end. More limbs popped out; two front legs and two wings. All that was left was her head and her body. The baby struggled with all it's might.

"Can't you help?" asked Astrid.

"Nope," said Tenor. "This every dragon's first challenge, getting out of the egg alone." They fell silent again. Finally the hatchling managed to poke its head out. Before anyone could make out any features, the hatchling pulled everything back into the shell. With a loud crack, the egg burst open releasing the baby dragon. It rolled onto its front and sat up, looking around. It was jet black, with red glowing eyes. The first thing it saw, was Windwalker who was closest.

"Hello," she cooed. She nuzzled her new hatchling and licked its face.

"It's a girl," Windwalker said, and Re translated.

"Wow, she looks just like Tenor," said Fishlegs. And so she did. The little dragon was half Night Fury. And when she opened her mouth they saw small black teeth. She was quite small, slightly smaller then a Tiny Terror. Tenor lit the fire pit, filling the area with fire light. Now they could see the hatchling more clearly. On her forehead was hour glass symbol that was the same red color as her eyes. It was quite large, taking up half her forehead.

"That's a strange birthmark," said Valka.

"I've seen that mark before," Serenity said, the sound of recognition in her voice. "I'll be right back." She went into the house, Edelweiss secure in the baby sling.

"What are you going to name her?" asked Hiccup.

"I want to call her after an animal that's either fast or poisonous," Tenor said, and they realized he was translating for Windwalker.

"How about Nightingale," said Astrid.

"It's pretty," said Tenor. He looked at Windwalker.

"Yeah, that is quite pretty," she said. "But not intimidating enough." At that moment Serenity came back out with a book in her hands. She went over to the picnic table and set the book down. The others gathered around the table, Windwalker put her new hatchling on top of the table so she could see. Serenity flipped through the book, which was a book on spiders. She stopped on an illustration of a certain spider. It was a small spider; it was glossy black, it had long creepy legs, and a round rear. It looked very scary. It was dangling upside down on its web. Serenity pointed to the spider's abdomen, where there was the same red hour glass shape.

"Well what do you know," said Windwalker.

"That is the creepiest spider I've ever seen," said Hiccup.

"What kind is that?" asked Snotlout.

"That is the Black Widow spider," said Tenor. "They live in hot dry climates. They get their name because a female will find herself a male, and when she gets what she wants from him she'll kill him and eat him."

"Whoa," said the Twins in unison.

"Sounds like a very barbaric spider," said Eret.

"Yes," said Serenity. "And they're very poisonous. There is no antidote to their poison, as far as I know. Just be glad one doesn't live here."

"Oh, I think one does now," said Windwalker, looking at her hatchling. "That's what we'll call you, Black Widow."

"What did she just say?" asked Snotlout.

"The baby dragon's name is Black Widow," said Serenity. The little dragon's tiny ears poked up at this. She let out a loud, puppy bark. She got to her feet, and crawled onto her mother's back.

"She certainly climbs like a spider," said Astrid. Black Widow gave a tiny croon. She looked at everyone in turn. Suddenly Edelweiss woke up and started crying. Serenity closed the book and attended to her own baby. She took her out of the sling and sat her up, leaning her against her chest. Almost instantly Edelweiss locked eyes with Black Widow. The two of them stared at each other, unblinkingly. The little dragon jumped off her perch and walked right up to her. When she was close enough, Black Widow began sniffing Edelweiss. Then the baby placed a small hand on the dragon's snout. Black Widow purred and leaned her head into Edelweiss's soft hand.

"What's going on?" asked Snotlout.

"Black Widow has just found her rider," said Aurora. "This is fate."

"And you're comfortable with having your baby be so close to such an evil looking dragon?" Eret asked Chris.

"Oi!" Tenor protested. Eret held his hands up in apology.

"They won't be left unsupervised," Serenity said. "At least until they're more mature." Black Widow suddenly began licking her rider's face. Edelweiss squealed with laughter.

"We'll let you get to bed now," said Astrid. "When are you guys heading home?"

"Ah, we'll give it a week," said Aurora.

The riders and dragons left the hospital and headed for their houses. The Draconian dragons laid down on the Dragonnip. Tenor and Windwalker curled up together, Windwalker tucked her wing over Black Widow. They all fell asleep in minuets. The full moon shone down on them all.

The next day the Draconians slept in after being up most of the night watching the egg hatch. The only ones who did wake up were Apollo and Avalon. They both emerged from under Aurora's wing. They stretched their limbs and wings. They had slept through Black Widow's hatching. They munched golden apples. Then they waited for the others to wake up.

"Wow, they must have been up for a long time," said Avalon, sitting in Serenity's vacant seat.

"How come they get to sleep in and we don't?" asked Apollo, slightly annoyed. He laid on the Dragonnip. He lit the fire pit with his red flame. At that moment Windwalker shifted in her sleep, and her wing slid off Black Widow. Both young dragonets got to their feet, Avalon jumped to the ground, and they quietly approached. Black Widow was curled up, asleep.

"Oh, that would explain it," said Apollo.

"Wow," said Avalon. "She's so tiny, and she looks just like Tenor." Apollo lowered his head over their new cousin.

"Don't wake her up," Avalon hissed. Apollo ignored her and gently nuzzled Black Widow's head. The little dragon stirred and opened her red eyes. She sat up groggily and yawned. She blinked a few times, then spotted Apollo and Avalon. Her eyes went wide and she tilted her head in curiosity. She chirped in surprised. She jumped to her feet to get a closer look at Apollo and Avalon. When she was standing at her full hight, they saw just how small she was. She was only just a few inches shorter than Apollo and Avalon. But she was quite slim, and had a small frame. She fluttered her tiny wings and shook herself. She sniffed the other two dragonets. No one said a word.

"She's very curious," said Apollo. Black Widow crooned and purred. "And she can't talk."

"She's only a baby Apollo," said Avalon. "She wasn't born with magic like we were." Avalon lowered her head to Black Widow's level.

"Hello little cousin," she said. Black Widow began prancing around, squealing in delight. This naturally woke up the adult dragons. They yawned and sat up. Black Widow turned her attention to theses other dragons, and remembered them from last night. She went up to Re first. She sniffed his talons. Re smiled down at her and lowered his head. He nuzzled Black Widow, and she returned it. Then Black Widow moved to Aurora. She looked down at the little dragon, remembering when Tenor was that small and curious. She hoped Black Widow would have a different childhood than he did, without being driven into the shadows by bullying. Black Widow ran back to her parents and rubbed against her mother's legs like a cat. Windwalker nuzzled her and purred. Then suddenly Black Widow began looking around for something.

"What she looking for?" asked Apollo.

"She's looking for Edelweiss," Aurora said. "They made friends last night." Avalon and Apollo looked at each other.

"How come you didn't wake us up?" asked Apollo.

"You guys take a long time to wake up," Re said. "By the time you would have woken up, Black Widow would have been all the way out."

"Black Widow?" said Avalon curiously. "Is that her name?"

"Yup," said Tenor. "She has the same red hour glass on her forehead as the Black Widow spider has on her abdomen." The two older dragonets looked at Black Widow again and saw that it was true.

"Awesome," said Apollo. Black Widow kept looking around for her future rider, and let out a sad moan when she wasn't to be found. Re and Aurora exchanged a glance.

"I'll be right back," said Aurora. She went into the house to get the three humans. While they waited Black Widow stood next to her dad, and rubbed against his legs. Tenor nuzzled her back. He was happy that there was finally another dragon in the world who looked like him. He silently thanked Lord Draco.

A few minuets later Aurora and the three humans came out of the house. Serenity was holding Edelweiss in her arms. When the child saw Black Widow she reached her little arms out to her. Serenity sat in her chair. Black Widow hurried over. She stood on her hind legs and put her front paws on the chair's armrest. Edelweiss gently put her little hand on Black Widow's snout. The baby dragon licked her rider's face, and Edelweiss laughed.

"I sense a strong bond between those two," said Tenor.

"Practically inseparable," Aurora agreed. Edelweiss hugged Black Widow's head. Apollo and Avalon began climbing up the apple tree. They reached the lowest branches and began munching apples. Black Widow looked up at them, intrigued. She dropped down on all fours again and ran up to the tree. She looked up at the tree, which to her looked colossal. She then began climbing up the trunk, digging her little claws into the golden bark. She reached one of the middle branches with ease. She pulled a large, golden apple off it's leaves. It was much too big for her to swallow whole, it was almost too big to hold in her jaws. She laid down on the wide branch, and began gnawing at the apple. The problem was she didn't know how to pull her teeth out, so she was chewing the apple only with her gums. She was hardly making a dent in it, and she was growing frustrated. She held the apple in her jaws and tried biting it as hard as she could. The apple was too hard and slippery. It slipped out of Black Widow jaws and tumbled along the branch. She tried to snag it with her paws, but her hind legs slipped. She fell off the branch, the apple not far behind.

"Look out!" Tenor and Windwalker cried in unison. They both scrambled to catch Black Widow. The little dragon landed on her mother's back, and the apple bonked Tenor on the head. He grabbed the apple and began munching hit himself. Windwalker gave him a hard look.

"What?" he said with his mouth full. "I'm not one to let good apples go to waste. Serenity put a lot of work into this tree and these apples."

"Not really, I just planted the seed," said Serenity. "Draco did the rest." Tenor finished his apple.

"I'll be right back," he said. He spread his wings and flew off.

He landed at the feeding stations. Normally he would have gone out to sea to get fish, but Black Widow was hungry and he need to get her something to eat fast. There were many other dragons at the feeding stations. They were surprised to see Tenor there.

"Fancy seeing you here Prime Minister," said a yellow and red Gronkle.

"Well, I'm not just feeding myself anymore," Tenor said. "When I do, I go out to sea." He ate as many fish as he could. The other dragons paid him little heed, even though they were all curious about Black Widow. Tenor ate his fill then headed back towards the apple tree.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Tenor landed back at the hospital. Black Widow ran right too him. She seemed to have been unharmed in her fall. She rubbed against his legs. Tenor beamed at her.

"Well Black Widow," he said. "You've tried eating apples, now how about something softer." With that he regurgitated some of the fish he ate at the feeding station, before his gut turned it into fuel for fire breathing. Black Widow didn't hesitate as she was very hungry. She ate every last regurgitated fish. She paused once to look up at Tenor, and gave a grateful smile. Then she turned back to her food. Tenor stood next Windwalker.

"We should all go down to the plaza," Re suggested. "It would help Black Widow get used to being around so many dragons and humans."

"Good idea," said Windwalker. Black Widow finished and ran to Avalon and Apollo. They all made their way towards the plaza. Black Widow stayed by Tenor's side.

When they got to the plaza they found everyone up and about. Dragons filled the sky. The riders and their dragons were in their yards. They looked up when their allies came into the plaza. Black Widow looked around both curiously and nervously. The riders and dragons came over to investigate.

"Good to see you all up and about," said Astrid.

"Yeah it's been a while," said Re. Fishlegs turned his attention to Black Widow. She looked back at him and pinned her ears back in fear. She backed up and let out a tiny growl. Fishlegs didn't get too close when he saw that he was frightening her. Then the Twins approached her recklessly. She hissed and flashed her gums, she still didn't know how to access her teeth.

"Back off," Fishlegs ordered. "She'll bite you if you get too close." The Twins reluctantly backed off. Black Widow turned her attention to the rest of the riders. She cautiously approached Hiccup. He knelt down to her level. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of Dragonnip. He held it out to Black Widow. She sniffed it. She remembered the sent as this was the same kind of grass that made up Serenity's entire lawn. She purred and approached further. Hiccup reached his other hand out towards her. Black Widow snorted and drew back shyly.

"It's okay," Hiccup said softly. "I won't hurt you." Black Widow looked at his open hand for a minuet. She looked over Toothless who gave her nod, indicating that Hiccup was telling the truth. She turned back with a croon. Then she put her whole head into Hiccup's hand. He gently stroked behind her ears, making her purr. Hiccup then realized just how small she was. She had long legs like Apollo and Avalon, but everything else was quite small and slim. Black Widow stepped back when she'd had enough and stood between her parents. Hiccup got back to his feet. Black Widow yawned exposing her gums.

"How come we can't see her black teeth?" asked Snotlout rather disappointed. "I thought all dragons hatched with their teeth."

"They're still in her gums," Tenor said. "She has to work out how to access them by herself." He turned to Black Widow who was now inspecting Fishlegs. Tenor growled a warning. Fishlegs ignored him.

"Wow, she came right up to me," he said loudly. He went to stroke her but he was too eager and moved too quickly. He accidentally stepped on Black Widow's wing, then her toes. She squealed in pain. Fishlegs withdrew, but again too quickly. He accidentally kicked Black Widow's shoulder, hard. She roared in pain, then turned and limped off as fast as she could.

"Black Widow! Come back!" Tenor and Windwalker cried in unison. The poor little dragon kept running, and soon vanished. Both adult dragons turned to Fishlegs snarling. He backed up against Meatlug. Tenor, who was closest, lunged at him with a loud snarl.

"Wait, wait," Fishlegs begged. "Let me go find her. I can bring her back safe." Tenor growled and gnashed his teeth. He turned to Windwalker. They chatted in Dragontongue for a few minutes. The riders held their breath.

"Please, let me have a chance at redemption," Fishlegs said. Tenor turned back to him. He growled again and jabbed Fishlegs's stomach with is talon.

"You have 24 hours," Tenor hissed. "If you fail, It will put both of us in a really bad mood." He snarled again and turned away. The Draconians headed back to the apple tree. Fishlegs turned to Meatlug.

"Come on girl, let's get started," he said. Meatlug gurgled in agreement. Fishlegs mounted her and they set off. The rest of the riders and dragons went back to their daily activities.

Fishlegs and Meatlug flew through the forest, keeping their eyes open for Black Widow. Meatlug called for her over and over, to no effect. They checked every cave and every shadow. Black Widow was no where to be found. The problem was, the little dragonet was constantly moving; she climbed trees and boulders. When she got wind that Fishlegs and Meatlug were looking for her she stayed out of sight, she was afraid of FIshlegs. She thought about going back to her parents, but she did not know the way. She cowered at the base of a large cedar while Fishlegs and Meatlug searched that particular area.

When they buzzed off, she came out and ran in the direction she thought her parents were. She limped as fast as she could. Her shoulder bone was cracked where Fishlegs kicked her and it hurt her to walk normally, it even hurt her to limp. She suddenly heard the rapid wingbeats of a Gronkle coming her way. She panicked and ran for it. Her shoulder burned with pain and it forced her to stop. She looked at her wings. She had seen other dragons using them to fly. She opened them up and flapped them as hard as she could and jumped. She got a few feet off the ground, but then crashed down again. Her wing muscles weren't developed enough to support her. The rapid wingbeats came again. She ran off, trying to ignore the pain. Suddenly the ground vanished beneath her feet and she fell way down. She hit several rocks on her way down. Then she splashed into water. She sank deep, struggling to breathe. She fought her way to the surface, using her tail, talons, and wings. Eventually her head broke the surface and she gulped down huge breaths of air. She splashed around trying to stay afloat. She called out for help, but it was very difficult with so much water in her face and eyes. She soon began to tire from all the struggling and she started to sink again.

Back at the apple tree the Draconians were all worried about Black Widow. Tenor was on his feet pacing up and down, smoke pouring out of his mouth and nose. Suddenly Re started coughing.

"For Draco's sake Tenor," he said. "Give it a rest before we all suffocate." He fanned the smoke away. Tenor relaxed and used his wings to blow away the smoke.

"Sorry," he said.

"Don't worry Tenor," Aurora said with sympathy. "Black Widow will be returned safe and sound. I can foresee it." Tenor paused and breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to his rider who was sitting in her chair.

"You have your medical bag at the ready?" he asked.

"Yes Tenor I do," Serenity said calmly. "There's nothing to worry about." Tenor stopped pacing and laid next to Windwalker. He was swishing his tail nervously. Windwalker could tell he was scared.

"It's okay Tenor," she said. "I'm worried about her too. But you heard the queen, she'll be just fine." Tenor took several deep breaths and calmed down more and more. He laid his head down. Windwalker rested her head on Tenor's shoulder. All they could do now was wait.

Meatlug and Fishlegs flew through the forests still searching. Black Widow was still no where to be found. They were near the Cove. Suddenly Meatlug's animal instincts blared, telling her something was wrong. She turned around abruptly, ignoring Fishlegs's protests, and headed for the Cove as fast as she could.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Fishlegs and Meatlug arrived at the Cove. They saw ripples on the surface of the lake, and just as they got a closer look they saw a little black tail and a wing slip into the water. Meatlug landed on the ground next to the lake and Fishlegs dismounted.

"Oh what do we do girl?" he asked, panicking. Meatlug looked out at the lake. They had to come up with something and fast, the little dragonet was drowning. Fishlegs couldn't swim. Meatlug could swim though, she had hatched in water. She immediately jumped into the water and swam towards Black Widow. She soon vanished beneath the surface. Fishlegs stood there fidgeting on the spot. The whole Cove seemed to hold it's breathe for what felt like decades. Then at long last Meatlug burst out of the water, Black Widow slumped over her snout. Meatlug flew her back to Fishlegs. He quickly examined the little dragonet. She was unconscious and had a few shallow cuts. Fishlegs carefully took Black Widow in his arms and carefully mounted his Gronkle. Meatlug took off and headed back to the village.

When they got there they ran to the Golden Apple Tree where the Draconians were waiting anxiously. They looked up when Meatlug landed.

"We found her," Fishlegs anounced. "She had fallen into the lake at the the Cove." Windwalker and Tenor got to their feet and ran over. Serenity got her medical bag out. Fishlegs set Black Widow down on the picnic. Tenor turned to Fishlegs and Meatlug.

"Thank you," he said. Serenity got right to work examining Black Widow. They all watched with baited breathe. Serenity listened to Black Widow's heart beat. Then used a small pump to get the water out of her lungs. Soon Black Widow spat out the last of the water and coughed oxygen into her lungs. She opened her eyes, but only half way. She let out a low moan. Serenity then addressed the dragonet's cuts, bruises, and cracked shoulder bone.

"Will she be ok?" asked Tenor.

"Yes," Serenity said confidently. "She's got a few scrapes, bruises, and a cracked shoulder, and she's beyond exhausted. But that's easily healed. She was lucky to get away with her life." All the dragons turned to Fishlegs and Meatlug.

"Our faith and trust in you has just been restored," Tenor said.

"Thank you," Fishlegs said. "I won't let you down again, I promise." He then got on Meatlug and headed for home, singing at the top of his lungs. Serenity put a cast on Black Widow's injured leg, then put in a sling. When she was finished she put her things back into her bag and closed it up. She carefully took Black Widow in her arms, so she wouldn't have to walk on her bad leg. Black Widow fell asleep almost at once. Windwalker laid down on the Dragonnip. Serenity gently placed Black Widow beside her. Windwalker nuzzled her hatchling. Serenity stood up and went to stand next to Chris.

"Not even a day old, and she's already getting herself into trouble," Tenor said.

"Like father like daughter," Re said amused. Tenor shot him an annoyed glare.

"She'll have someone to turn to if she's ever bullied," Aurora said. "I still remember it happening to you."

"Yes," Tenor said sadly. "Everywhere I went dragons both young and old mocked me, making sure I heard every word. I will not let that happen to Black Widow."

"You didn't have anyone to confide in when you were bullied?" Windwalker asked.

"Well, I did," Tenor said. "But they didn't quite understand what I was going through. They didn't know what it felt like to be the only dragon in the entire world that looks like this."

"Do they still bully you?" asked Windwalker.

"Yeah," Tenor said. "But these days I keep to the shadows and don't really give them an opportunity."

"I remember when he first started that," Re said. "He was no older than Apollo and Avalon. He came out with us. But every dragon in the city of Bluegreen started taunting him. He got so afraid that he turned around and flew back to the castle. He stayed indoors for several years, only coming out at night. No one saw him again until he was named Prime Minister. Even nowadays he never comes out by himself in the daytime."

"No one makes fun of you out here though," Windwalker pointed out.

"True," Tenor said. "But there have been dragons in this region in the past who have mocked me. The shadows are my only escape" He lowered his head in shame. Serenity stroked his neck. Then Re changed the subject.

"Well we should get some rest," he said. "Tomorrow we'll head for home." Everyone seemed to lighten up at this news.

"Is Black Widow able to travel?" Windwalker asked Serenity.

"Yeah," Serenity said. "Someone will have to carry her until she learns to fly of course." Tenor went over to his family and laid down next to them, he lit the fire pit in the process. Chris and Serenity sat in their chairs. Re, Aurora, and their two dragonets laid in the Dragonnip. Serenity had Edelweiss asleep in her baby sling.

One by one they all drifted off to sleep. Chris got up and stretched. Serenity saw that Tenor was still awake.

"I'm heading to bed," Chris said.

"Ok, I'll be right there," Serenity said. Chris gently kissed her cheek, then headed into the house. Serenity stood up and threw water on the fire. It went out with a hiss. She put the water jug on the table. She noticed Tenor watching her. As a nocturnal creature, it took him a bit longer than everyone else to fall asleep at night.

"Well Tenor, we both finally got what we wanted," Serenity said quietly.

"Yes, it's remarkable," Tenor said. He carefully got to his feet and approached his rider and she stroked his snout.

"I hope you'll still be my rider though," Tenor said. "I've rather enjoyed it."

"Of course," Serenity said. "I've enjoyed it too, traveling the world with you." Tenor nuzzled her face, purring softly. She gave him a one armed hug, holding Edelweiss in the other arm.

"Ten years and now our lonely travels are finally over," she said. Tenor smiled.

"Let's get to bed," he said.

"Good idea," Serenity agreed. She kissed Tenor's snout. He purred and blushed under his scales. He turned around and laid back down beside Windwalker. Serenity went into the house and went to bed as well. Tenor draped his wing over his new family. He glanced down at Windwalker and Black Widow. He never thought he would get such a blessing. He silently thanked Lord Draco. Then he laid his head down and closed his eyes.

The next morning snow clouds came rolling in over Berk. The Draconians woke up and gathered under the apple tree. Black Widow was restored enough for the long flight back to Draconia. Serenity put her gear on Tenor's saddle. Then she mounted up. Chris mounted Windwalker. Black Widow climbed onto her father's back. They all flew down to the plaza. The vikings and dragons were out and about. Hiccup, his fellow riders and their dragons came to see their allies off.

"You guys heading home already?" asked Astrid.

"Yup," said Re. "Winter is at hand, we must get home before we get snowed in here. We'll be back next summer." The Draconians prepared for lift off.

"When we come back we'll start turning Dragon Island into a summer home," Re said.

"Great," said Hiccup. "We'll help in anyway."

"Thank you," Re said. "See you all then." The Draconians spread their wings and took off. The Berkians watched them fly away, accenting above the clouds. They flew in a V formation. The Berkians watched them go until the snow clouds covered them up and they vanished.


End file.
